Forum menu
1) Has anyone just repaired one spoke on factory wheels, or am I on an inevitable slow decline resulting in having to purchase a new wheel?
2) Will I need to measure the spoke, or can my LBS look up the spoke length? Bontrager Rhythmn Elite of unknown vintage
1. Yes but need to re-tension / true the wheel. Don't need to be too precise if running disc brakes.
2. Just measure it or let the shop measure it. Gauge as well as length!
1) Yes, it's perfectly possible but it depends on failure mode. If the wheel is dying then you'll get more broken spokes soon enough, and it's time to bin it or rebuild fully. If the spoke just took a freak hit from a rock or something then you can usually swap it out and get a load more miles out of the wheel.
2) Measuring it is probably easier than looking up an old wheel spec, to be honest, and is certainly more reliable. If you've lost the broken spoke just unwind and measure another one (make sure it's from the same side of the wheel), you'll need to retension all over anyway.
I have. DIY on a MTB, simple enough and had no issues for over a year. Also had the LBS do one on a road wheel, £15 odd quid and also no issues since.
When I did it myself, I just measured the spoke and ordered some online. LBS had stock of the wheel they did.
I've done loads, but I've also found in the past that once one spoke goes the others may not be far behind due to OEM spokes of a poorer quality.
It pinged on a climb. I've had this happen before, with a Bontrager wheel funnily enough, and had more failures later. The hub died though before it could get too bad.
Wondering if it's worth paying the lbs to re-tension it all..?
Once I've had 1 or 2 go I rebuild the wheel using DT Comps.
One spoke I'd replace, if it starts with others as well, I'd either look to replace them all, or get a shop to do it.
Wow, I'm clearly in a (clumsy) minority of one here.
I find myself replacing spokes fairly regularly right from new. Probably the most common cause of removing tyre for me. On the back end it's not often that I get sealant drying up or the tyre wearing out before a spoke goes. I just replace the broken one and re-true.
I'm confident that my wheel truing/tensioning skills aren't the problem. Most likely down to spoke quality I suspect. (Hope Hoops/Flow EX on the hardtail is/was the worst offender in this respect)
When the spoke is replaced, I would de-tension, re-tension, and stress-relieve the wheel.
Not properly stress-relieving the wheel is a common cause of subsequent spoke failures.
Bontrager wheels = Bliss to repair
It might even have the spoke length printed on the rim.
Other than that, go to a Trek dealers who will be able to look it up on the Trek tech site and supply you with the correct spoke. If they can't, they're crap.
I simply take the broken spoke to the LBS and say 'can I have one of those please' Then put it in, tension it to the same(ish) tension as the others then check its all true.
As a side note as you are likely to see this and we all know pageing posts are not allowed- would you mind giving a bit more detail on reshaping sks mudguards to fit with mini v's, Ideally with a pic 🙂
Ta.
Need to switch tyres anyway. It's summer, you know.
Sweepy - yes, I will, probably tomorrow.
Well, having taken the wheel off, it became clear that the breakage was caused by damage sustained during a chain/spoke/cassette menage a trois, and NOT poor tension or spokes. Several other spokes were torn up too so I bought 7 to replace the relevant half of the drive side, and tensioned them up to match other half which was left undisturbed, by ear.
Quite a few of the old nipples disintegrated when I tried to turn them though.. 😕
Sounds like you need a dork disc 😀
It wasn't me, got these wheels second hand! 🙂
Wow, I'm clearly in a (clumsy) minority of one here.
I find myself replacing spokes fairly regularly right from new. Probably the most common cause of removing tyre for me. On the back end it's not often that I get sealant drying up or the tyre wearing out before a spoke goes. I just replace the broken one and re-true.
I'm confident that my wheel truing/tensioning skills aren't the problem. Most likely down to spoke quality I suspect. (Hope Hoops/Flow EX on the hardtail is/was the worst offender in this respect)
This is interesting, I would say that it's unusual to be replacing so many spokes from new. The questions that occur to me are:
1) what kind of spokes are you using?
2) do the spokes always break in the same place, and if so where?
3) what kind of riding are you doing?
4) are you a little on the, well, clydesdale side of things?
My first road bike had wheels that broke spokes all the time. Bike shop guy said it was probably a bad build. He was probably right.
Whatever they are that come as standard on a Hope Hoops Flow-EX wheel. Broke quite a few spokes on these wheelsets, which I've had fitted to both 456Ti hardtail and Patriot.1) what kind of spokes are you using?
90% at/in the nipple, necessitating removal of tubeless tape and replacement of nipple.2) do the spokes always break in the same place, and if so where?
Rough, technical and rocky. Lakeland passes and Calderdale-tech. Often hitting decent sized boulders and waterbars at some speed on a hardtail, so it's not entirely unexpected. Rear requires a dual-ply Maxxis running tubeless at about 30psi. Don't often hear the rims strike unless pressure gets a bit low. Wheels generally stay true though and I don't actually bend the rims very often.3) what kind of riding are you doing?
Nah, 6'2" and 14st (probably 15st kitted-up)4) are you a little on the, well, clydesdale side of things?
Have you had the wheels rebuilt? Is it the same wheelset all the time?
Can I just ask...
When the spoke is replaced, I would de-tension, re-tension, and stress-relieve the wheel.Not properly stress-relieving the wheel is a common cause of subsequent spoke failures.
Why re-tension the whole thing? When you stress relieve, you aren't stress relieving "the wheel" per se, you are stress relieving the individual spokes surely? So if you are replacing a single spoke all the other spokes have already [i]been[/i] stress relieved in the original build have they not? Or are you saying that the only way to effectively stress relieve the new spoke is to do so as if it were a complete new build with tension build up gradually?
I'm only really asking this for my own understanding, no trouble etc etc. 😉
No, just trued up in the frame and tensioned by ear.Have you had the wheels rebuilt?
Two separate Flow EX rear wheels, same build std on two different bikes. 70/30 problem split maybe. 70% breakages on 456Ti/30% on Patriot but this reflects usage split of maybe 90/10.Is it the same wheelset all the time?